President Obama Nominates Four to Serve as U.S. Marshals

“These nominees have spent their careers risking their own safety to protect their fellow Americans,” President Obama said. “Their courage and selfless dedication to the public good are unparalleled, and I am honored to nominate them today to continue their work as U.S. Marshals.”

Gary L. Blankinship, to be United States Marshal, Southern District of Texas
Gary L. Blankinship retired last year as a Senior Police Officer with the Houston Police Department and President of the Houston Police Officers’ Union. Blankinship has served in law enforcement for 35 years. In 1993, after the death of his partner in the line of duty, Blankinship founded the Assist the Officer Foundation to provide short-term, immediate financial assistance for officers critically injured or disabled in the line of duty. He also has served as Vice President for the National Association of Police Organizations.

Robert L. Hobbs, to be United States Marshal, Eastern District of Texas
Robert L. Hobbs is a Supervisory Assistant United States Attorney with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, currently serving as the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division and as the attorney in charge of the Beaumont and Lufkin Divisions of the office. He joined the office in 1999. Previously, he served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Jefferson County (Texas) District Attorney’s Office from 1996 to 1999. Mr. Hobbs graduated from the South Texas College of Law in 1996 and received his B.S. from Lamar University in 1987. Between graduating from college and law school, he served as the Commander and Project Director of the Jefferson County Narcotics Task Force from 1992 to 1996; as a Senior Criminal Investigator in the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office from 1984 to 1992; and as a police officer in Corpus Christi and Jefferson County from 1977 to 1984.

Amos Rojas Jr., to be United States Marshal, Southern District of Florida
Amos Rojas Jr. currently works for the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, serving as the Deputy Director of the South Florida Money Laundering Strike Force. He previously worked for 24 years in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), including serving for eight years as the Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Regional Operations Center of the FDLE. Prior to joining the FDLE, he served as an Investigative Supervisor in the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, and he has also served on the Huntsville (Alabama), South Miami, and Miami-Dade Police Departments. He received his undergraduate degree in 1983 from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Peter C. Tobin, to be United States Marshal, Southern District of Ohio
Peter C. Tobin has been involved with law enforcement for more than four decades, most recently serving as Superintendent of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation from 2009 to 2011; he previously served as the Narcotics Division Chief at the Bureau from 1995 to 2004. Additionally, he has twice served as Chief of Police, first for the Powell (Ohio) Police Department and later the for London (Ohio) Police Department. For the first 20 years of his career, he held multiple positions within the Columbus Police Department, beginning as a patrol officer and eventually becoming a SWAT Commander. Finally, he has also served in the United States Army and in the Ohio Army National Guard.